Foxcatcher

Well known for the award-winning movies Capote and Moneyball, Bennett Miller is competing at Cannes this year with Foxcatcher.

Mark and Dave Shultz are professional Olympic wrestlers when Mark is fired from a coaching position. As he struggles to train alone, millionaire John du Pont invites him to spearhead a world-class wrestling class at his extravagant Foxcatcher estate. But du Pont’s generosity and kindness are soon corrupted by paranoid disillusions and irrational attempts to sparkle.

Based upon real life events, the atmosphere is dark and oppressing throughout. Pride is omnipresent as characters do their best to prove they’re worth something, both to themselves and to others. Sport is a major aspect of Miller’s movie, letting human animalism explode: these character wrestle as a living, but they mainly wrestle to live, struggling with personal issues that overcome their goals.

By interpreting those characters so well, Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo prove their excellent acting skills in these dramatic parts. Their talent adds real depth that the classical choice of directing may have had difficulty in creating on its own. Vanessa Redgrave, as a judgemental mother who critiques her only son without saying a word, is perfect as always.

The director succeeds in creating a tense and suspenseful film, with beautiful characters who say so much despite speaking so little. Miller’s research here really shines through, and the result is a beautiful presentation of real people with vivid personalities in unusual circumstances. It could have been a documentary as every detail is so accurate, but with the incredible team and talents behind Foxcatcher, it becomes a great picture.